Balciunaite wins European marathon title

ATHLETIC: BARCELONA, Spain, July 31 (AFP) - Lithuania's Zivile Balciunaite was crowned women's marathon champion at the European championships on Saturday.

Balciunaite clocked a time of 2hr 31min 14sec for the 42.195km course after an acceleration at the 30km mark left her rivals trailing.

Russian Nailya Yulamanova finished second at 1min 01sec, with Italian Anna Incerti third at 1:34.

Romanian Lidia Simon (born Slavuteanu) led the field for the first half of the race and, with the best personal time of the 43-strong field, the 2001 world champion appeared one of the biggest threats.

However the 36-year-old Simon began to slow heading into the second half, and with a little over 12km to race Balciunaite made her move.

Her attack left Portugal's Marisa Barros, who set the fastest time of the field this season in 2:25:44, among others, struggling to follow.

Balciunaite's win comes in the absence of two of the strongest women's specialists.

Britain's Paula Radcliffe, the reigning European record holder in 2:15:25, is seven-months pregnant while French record holder Christelle Daunay, who was second in the Paris marathon in April, pulled out.